Labor analgesia - protecting the safety and comfort of the mother and fetus

After ten months of pregnancy, the baby is born. However, many pregnant women are afraid of the severe pain of labor. Removing the "shackles" of labor pain that women have endured for many years is the goal of generations of anesthesiologists.

From the first attempt in the 1960s, to the small-scale use in the 1980s, to the large-scale implementation in 2001, anesthesiologists have spared no effort in promoting labor analgesia. Labor analgesia technology has alleviated the pain of pregnant mothers during labor, and anesthesiologists have also witnessed and shared the joy and happiness of mothers welcoming new life.

Physical pain—is natural always best?

In the first stage of labor, labor pain comes from uterine contraction and cervical dilation. As the fetus enters the birth canal, it presses on the pelvic floor, and the expansion of the mother's perineum and vagina further aggravates the pain. More than 50% of expectant mothers will feel severe pain, and 20% of them feel that the pain is unbearable.

This physiological pain is a signal of labor and helps doctors determine the progress of labor. However, it also increases the energy consumption of the mother and brings anxiety and fear to the subsequent delivery. Some expectant mothers who are suffering from labor pains may also suffer from hyperventilation, hypoxemia, or nausea and vomiting due to crying. This not only causes damage to the mother, but also further causes fetal hypoxia and even fetal distress.

What is labor analgesia?

There are many techniques for labor analgesia, but spinal analgesia is currently the most widely used method of analgesia in my country because of its high safety for mother and baby and definite analgesic effect. The principle is to inject drugs into the spinal canal through an embedded hose, blocking the sensory nerves from the uterus, blocking the transmission of pain from the first stop, and reducing the pain caused by uterine contractions.

Labor analgesia not only effectively relieves pain, but also provides quick and good anesthesia effect when conversion to cesarean section is required.

When can labor analgesia be started?

After entering labor, as long as the mother requests labor analgesia and is evaluated by obstetricians and anesthesiologists and there are no relevant contraindications, labor analgesia can be started at any stage of labor.

With the increasing demand for pain relief among mothers and the deepening of related research, anesthesiologists and obstetricians are working together to provide mothers with safe and effective analgesia throughout labor.

Does labor analgesia mean “one shot of anesthesia, painless throughout the process”?

Spinal analgesia for labor can effectively relieve pain in most women within 20 minutes of the first administration, but it is not absolutely "painless". Women can still feel the contraction of the uterus, and the movement of the lower limbs is not affected. In this way, women can cooperate with the midwife to push properly during delivery.

The duration of labor for each parturient is different, and the timing of injection is different. One dose of medication cannot provide analgesia throughout the entire labor process. However, the anesthesiologist will wear an electronic analgesia pump for the parturient, which will automatically and continuously administer medication until the end of labor. The parturient can also self-control additional medication according to her needs. Whether resting, eating, checking or giving birth, you can carry the analgesia pump with you to ensure the analgesia effect throughout the entire process.

Labor conditions are ever-changing, wireless monitoring is your caring butler

The conditions of pregnant women and fetuses vary greatly during labor, and many expectant mothers worry that the use of labor analgesia will affect normal delivery. In fact, labor analgesia not only reduces the cesarean section rate, but also, with the optimization of the formula, the probability of the influence of anesthesia factors on the extension of labor is also greatly reduced.

The wireless transmitter on the analgesia pump transmits usage information to the anesthesiologist in real time. When the parturient frequently self-administers medication or interrupts analgesia, the system will automatically sound an alarm. The doctor will come like a god to analyze whether there are special circumstances during labor that cause the parturient's pain to increase, or conduct reasonable education.

Especially under the new requirements of epidemic prevention and control, even if you are not accompanied by your family, the "intimate butler" will still let you rest assured. With the support of technology, the medical team will make great efforts to provide safer and more comfortable delivery analgesia services for mothers.